Self contained mobile asphalt mixing and applying apparatus

ABSTRACT

A bituminous concrete mixing and applying apparatus is disclosed which is constructed in an entirely self-contained and mobile fashion whereby bituminous concrete can be mixed and applied at the job site. The apparatus comprises an elongated mobile frame, such as a truck frame, upon which storage compartments are disposed for separately storing aggregates such as sand, stone, gravel, and the like, as well as liquid bitumens, such as asphalt, tar, or the like. A conveyor means is provided beneath the storage compartments for the aggregates for conveying such aggregates out from the storage compartment through a metering device and into a heating and drying mechanism whereat the aggregates are heated, dried and agitated. The dry aggregates as well as the liquid bitumens which similarly have been heated are discharged into a discharge mechanism or hopper assembly disposed on the mobile frame whereat bituminous concrete is formed. This bituminous concrete is applied to an underlying road surface to provide a covering commonly termed macadam, blacktop, or asphalt, by means of a spreader mechanism which, in the preferred inventive embodiment, constitutes a heating chamber, a plurality of spreading auger conveyors, a vibrator, and a roller compactor. In essence, the instant invention constitutes a mobile bituminous concrete plant which can be sent directly to a job site to mix and apply the bituminous concrete.

United States Patent [191 Zimmerman 1 June 28, 1974 1 SELF-CONTAINEDMOBILE ASPHALT MIXING AND APPLYING APPARATUS Harold M. Zimmerman, R.D.No. 1, Ephrata, Pa. 17522 221 Filed: Sept. 14, 1972 21 Appl. No.:288,987

[76] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl. 404/110, 259/157 Primary Examiner-Nile C. Byers, Jr.Attorney, Agent, or Firm1-lolman & Stern [57] ABSTRACT A bituminousconcrete mixing and applying apparatus is disclosed which is constructedin an entirely selfcontained and mobile fashion whereby bituminousconcrete can be mixed and applied at the job site. The apparatuscomprises an elongated mobile frame, such as a truck frame, upon whichstorage compartments are disposed for separately storing aggregates suchas sand, stone, gravel, and the like, as well as liquid bitumens, suchas asphalt, tar, or the like. A conveyor means is provided beneath thestorage compartments for the aggregates for conveying such aggregatesout from the storage compartment through a metering device and into aheating and drying mechanism whereat the aggregates are heated, driedand agitated. The dry aggregates as well as the liquid bitumens whichsimilarly have been heated are discharged into a discharge mechanism orhopper assembly disposed on the mobile frame. whereat bituminousconcrete is formed. This bituminous concrete is applied to an underlyingroad surface to provide a covering commonly termed macadam, blacktop, orasphalt, by means of a spreader mechanism which, in the preferredinventive embodiment, constitutes a heating chamber, a plurality ofspreading auger conveyors, a vibrator, and a roller compactor. Inessence, the instant invention constitutes a mobile bituminous concreteplant which can be sent directly to a job site to mix and apply thebituminous concrete.

l9 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUNZBJQH SHEET 3 0F SELF-CONTAINEDMOBILE ASPHALT MIXING AND APPLYING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention generally relates to paving machines and particularlyconcerns a self-contained, mobile bituminous concrete mixing andapplying apparatus for operation directly at a job site. Bituminousconcrete, as this technical term is utilized herein, relates to aresilient road surfacing material commonly designated macadam,blacktop,-or asphalt, as distinguished from rigid Portland cement,concrete road surfaces having a Portland cement binder.

Numerous roadways are in existence today which, upon occasion, requirethe usual maintenance and repair or patching. For large maintenance jobsamounting to resurfacing of entire roadway sections, such maintenancecan economically and feasibly be effected by large paving machines. Forthe smaller, relatively minor maintenance jobs amounting to patching andthe like, it is not feasible to provide and transport heavy roadwaybuilding equipment to effect such maintenance.

As such, most road repair jobs are effected by hand. For example, atypical procedure is to load bituminous concrete on the back of apick-up truck or other similar vehicle and then send a crew consistingof a number of men out to the road location whereat the repair isdesired. The bituminous concrete is then physically shoveled into thehole or crack in the roadway to form a repair, the bituminous concretesubsequently being manually tamped into place to complete the repair.

This manual method has its obvious disadvantages. For example, 'not onlymust a multi-member crew be provided, but the crew would have to knowbeforehand the amount of material that would be needed for theparticular job, since the bituminous concrete, once mixed and placedupon the vehicle, cannot be maintained in a pliable state for a longperiod. The shortness of time that pre-mixed bituminous concrete remainspliable also makes it difficult to effect a repair at a location remotefrom the mixing plant requiring a relatively long driving time to reach.Additional problems are encountered, particularly when attempting to dowinter repairs work. In this respect, a hot bituminous concrete repairis, of course, preferable to a cold repair due to its better adhesionproperties. Yet, such a hot repair cannot readily be utilized in wintermonths since the hot mixed bituminous concrete, assuming it is to beavailable, cannot be maintained at the elevated temperature on the truckfor long. It is primarily for this reason that most winter roadwayrepairs utilize the cold method, which is wasteful and invariablynecessitates additional subsequent repair work, since a cold repair doesnot stand up to wear or temperature variations as well as a hot repair.

Additionally, a pre-mixed bituminous concrete batch that is taken out tothe repair job may be of the same high quality and/or consistency asbituminous concrete actually mixed at the job site.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It should thus be apparent that a need existsin the road repair and resurfacing field by which the repair of roadwayscan be modernized and otherwise facilitated to thus eliminate thearchaic manual methods now in use. It is the primary objective of theinstant invention to provide an apparatus by which this need can befilled.

It is a further objective of the instant invention to provide a novelapparatus which can transport bituminous concrete ingredients inseparate compartments to the job site, whereat the apparatus canautomatically proportion, mix and apply bituminous concrete, thusassuring the provision of a consistent high quality bituminous concretepatch from job to job, without waste.

It is a further objective of the instant invention to provide abituminous concrete mixing apparatus which is, in addition, capable ofapplying the mixed bituminous concrete automatically to the surface ofthe roadway to be repaired.

It is yet another objective of the instant invention to provide abituminousconcrete mixing and applying apparatus which is entirelyself-contained and which is mobile, which apparatus is capable ofoperation with a reduced crew, such as one man.

It is another objective of the instant invention to provide an improvedself-contained bituminous concrete mixing apparatus by which a hotbituminous concrete repair can be effected at any time of the year, evenduring the winter months.

Still another objective of the instant invention is the provision of anovel improved bituminous concrete mixing and applying apparatus bywhich quality repair of roadways can be achieved at low cost.

These and other objects which will become apparent as the descriptionproceeds are implemented by the novel invention, which, as aforestated,constitutes a self-contained mobile bituminous concrete mixing andapplying apparatus. In the preferred inventive embodiment, the apparatusis disposed upon a mobile frame, such as a truck, and incorporates aplurality of separate compartments for separately storing the aggregatesand liquid ingredients of a bituminous concrete mix. For example,separate compartments are provided for the storage of fine and coarseaggregates, as well as for the storage of liquid bitumen, such asasphalt itself.

The aggregates are removed from the storage compartments therefor at thejob site through metering gates or the like which ensures apredetermined amount and ratio of the aggregates. The aggregates arethen conveyed to a heating and drying mechanism also disposed on themobile frame, which mechanism in the preferred inventive embodimentconstitutes a rotatable heating and drying drum. The aggregates aredried and are raised to a temperature of approximately 400 F. in therotating drum mechanism and are dropped into a hopper containing afurther metering mechanism from which the ingredients are dischargedinto a pug mill type mixing conveyor. A liquid bitumen is added to themixing conveyor, the bitumen being separately maintained in a separatestorage compartment which may be heated. The amount of dry aggregatesvis-a-vis the liquid bitumen is carefully controlled by means of themetering mechanism associated with the hopper and by means of a bitumenmetering device. In this fashion, bituminous concrete is provided havingcontrolled consistency and quality.

The bituminous concrete, i.e., the mixture of the aggregates and thebitumen, is then fed into a spreader mechanism preferably carried behindthe mobile frame by which the bituminous concrete is applied to thesurface of an underlying roadway. In the preferred inventive embodiment,the spreader mechanism constitutes a forwardly disposed heating chamberso as to heat the underlying road surface thereby assuring good adhesionfor the bituminous concrete. A plurality of auger conveyors are alsoprovided for evenly distributing the bituminous concrete over theunderlying and heated surface. The distributed bituminous concrete isthen settled by means of a vibrating mechanism and finally is compactedby a roller rearwardly disposed on the spreading mechanism.

The combination bituminous concrete mixing and spreading apparatusgenerally described above separately stores all the ingredients of thebituminous concrete so that the problems associated with prematurehardening of a pre-mixed batch are entirely eliminated. Further, apredetermined amount of bituminous concrete having a controlledconsistency and quality is mixed at the job site through the utilizationof the apparatus of the instant invention, therefore eliminating theprior art problems of predetermining the amount of bituminous concretethat will be needed for any given job. The repair effected by themachine of the instant invention can utilize the hot technique evenduring winter months and, importantly, operation of the apparatus of theinstant invention can be effected by one man, if so desired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention itself will be betterunderstood and additional features and advantages thereof will becomeapparent from the following detailed description of one preferredinventive embodiment, such description making reference to the appendedsheets of drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a truck constructed to incorporatethe self-contained bituminous concrete mixing apparatus of the instantinvention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the bituminous concrete apparatus of FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 partiallybroken away and in cross-section for illustrative clarity;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 3 takenalonglines 44 thereof;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view in section of the apparadepicted in FIGS.1 and 3 of the drawings; and

FIG. 9 is an elevational view, in section for clarity, of thelauger orspreading conveyor of the bituminous concrete spreading apparatusdepicted in FIG. 8, taken along lines 99 thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED INVENTIVE EMBODIMENT Referring nowto the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, the novelbituminous concrete apparatus of the instant invention can be seendisposed upon the bed or mobile frame 20 of a truck generally designatedby the reference numeral 22. The bituminous concrete apparatus comprisesa first storage means generally designated by the reference numeral 24for storing coarse and fine aggregates such as sand and gravel, and asecond storage means generally designated by reference numeral 26 forstoring liquid bitumen, such as liquid asphalt or tar. The aggregateswithin the first storage means 24 are removedand dispensed therefromthrough a first metering means generally designated by reference numeral28 (see FIG. 3) via a conveyor mechanism having a first substantiallyhorizontal section generally designated by reference numeral 30 and asecond substantially vertical section generally designated by referencenumeral 32, into a heating and drying means generally designated byreference numeral 34 wherein the aggregates are dried and are raised toan elevated temperature and transported towards the rear or left-handside of the apparatus as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 3. The aggregates arethen dispensed into a hopper generally designated by reference numeral36 containing a further metering mechanism from which the aggregates aredischarged into a pug mill type mixing means 116 118 into which thebitumen is likewise metered so as to form bituminous concrete therein ofcontrolled quality and consistency. The bituminous concrete so formed isthen discharged into a spreading means generally designated by referencenumeral 38 disposed rearwardly of the mobile frame, spreading means 38depositing the bituminous concrete onto the surface of the underlyingroadway so as to effect a proper repair of the roadway.

In the preferred inventive embodiment, the first storage means generallydesignated by reference numeral 24 comprises a plurality of separatecompartments such as compartments 40 and 42 as can best be seen from thetop plan view of the apparatus depicted in FIG. 2. Each of thecompartments 40 and 42 define substantially rectilinear chambers withthe outside walls 44 and 46 thereof (see FIG. 5) being downwardly andinwardly inclined much in the manner of a hopper. Separate coarse andfine aggregates, such as sand and gravel or the like, are separatelystored within each of the individual storage compartments 40 and 42.Loading takes place from the top of the compartments as shown in FIGS. 2and 5.

The bottom sides of each of the separate storage compartments 40 and 42are open and are disposed immediately above an elongated substantiallyhorizontal conveyor section generally designated 30, which conveyor 30can, for example, comprise a belt conveyor driven in a clock-wise mannerwhen viewing FIG. 3 by any suitable drive mechanism which has not beenillustrated for purposes of illustrative clarity. In this respect, thedrive mechanism 30 could be coupled via a gearing arrangement to thesubstantially vertically disposed conveyor section 32 to be describedhereinbelow.

Due to this construction, the aggregates such as sand and gravel restdirectly upon the surface of the horizontal conveyor section 30 and, inoperation thereof, the aggregates are carried forwardly towards thefront or right-hand side of the apparatus as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 3.The actual amount and the ratio of the various aggregates that aredispensed from the storage compartments 40 and 42 is controlled by afirst metering means generally designatedby reference numeral 28.Attention is directed to FIG. 5 of the drawings wherein the detailedconstruction of the first metering means 28 can be seen. In thepreferred inventive embodiment,

the first metering means 28 comprises vertically slidable gates 48 and50 respectively associated with compartments 40 and 42. The verticallyslidable gates 48 and 50 are disposed within channels or guides 52 andthe vertical position of the respective'gates 48 and 50 and thus thedegree or amount of opening of the gates can readily be controlled.

For example, and in the preferred inventive embodiment, each of thegates 48 and 50 have a gear rack 54 associated therewith, each gear rack54 being coupled to pinion gears 56 disposed on shafts 58 which can berotated by the external hand wheels 60. It should further be noted thatthe shaft 58 of the control mechanism for gate 48 is a flexible shaft,though it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that othercontrol mechanisms could readily be substituted for that specificallydepicted in FIG. 5 of the drawings.

Thus, through rotation of the individual hand wheels 60, the amount andratio of the aggregates, such as sand and gravel, that is dispensed fromthe individual or separate compartments 40 and 42 can volumetrically becontrolled. I

The aggregates thus dispensed by the horizontal conveyor section 30 aredischarged from conveyor section 30 into a trough or well 62 disposedforwardly of the apparatus. From this trough or well 62, the dischargedaggregates are carried upwardly by the substantially vertical conveyorsection 32. In the preferred inventive embodiment, conveyor section 32comprises a bucket conveyor which incorporates a plurality of bucketssuch as designated by reference numeral 64 disposed upon a chain 66, thechain '66 and thus the conveyor section 32 being driven by a gearingarrangement 68 which may constitute a power-takeoff from the truck uponwhich the bituminous concrete apparatus is mounted. The conveyor section32 therefore serves to lift and carry upwardly the aggregates dispensedinto the trough or well 62 from the individual storage compartments 40and 42. At the top of the conveyor 32, the lifted aggregates aredischarged into an underlying auger or screw generally designated byreference numeral 70. The auger or screw 70 serves to carry thedischarged ingredients rearwardly, i.e., from right to left when viewingFIGS. l and 3, for example, into a heating and drying means 34 whereatthe aggregates are dried and are raised to an elevated temperature aswill be further described. The auger or screw'70 can be driven directlyfrom the conveyor 32 by means of a chain or belt drive 72 as is depictedin FIG. 4, the chain or belt 72 being disposed about an idler pulley 74as is indicated. In the preferred inventive embodiment, the

constitute an elongated hollow drum 78, preferably constructed of steeland being reinforced with a plurality of ribs 80 which further extendinto the interior of the hollow drum, and by a forwardly disposedcrossbrace 82. The hollow drum 78 is rotatable and is journalled forrotation at its rearward end by a journal bearing generally designatedby reference numeral 84. At the forward end of the elongated hollow drum78, a shaft 86 is attached to the cross-brace 82, the shaft beingjournalled as at reference numeral 88 and being coupled for drivingrotation to the idler pulley 74 of the substantially vertical conveyorsection 32 by a chain or belt drive 90. Therefore, as the substantiallyvertical conveyor section 32 is operated, rotation of the elongatedhollow drum 78 is effected.

Disposed at the rear end of the hollow rotating drum 78 is a heatingsource, such as a forced air oil burner generally designated byreference numeral 92. A

substantially vertical conveyor section 32 is covered by a shroud 76 andit should further be noted that conveyor section 32 makes a slightlyacute angle with the vertical, i.e., leans towards the rear of theapparatus so as to facilitate discharge of the aggregates into theheating and drying means 34 and so as to facilitate the mechanicalgearing and other coupling arrangements between the heating and dryingmeans 34, as will be described.

The function of the heating and drying means 34 is to dry and to raisethe temperature of the aggregates deposited therein to approximately 400F. and further to convey or transport the aggregates towards the rear ofthe apparatus for subsequent discharge. To this end, the heating anddrying means of the instant invention in the preferred embodimentthereof will be seen to source of air is coupled to the burner 92 by aline 94 as depicted in FIG. 7, which line runs to a blower 96 disposedon the side of the apparatus as is depicted in FIG. 1. A non-illustratedoil line for supplying the burner 92 is coupled to an oil tank 98 alsodisposed on the mobile frame or bed 20 of the truck 22. Of course, fuelother than oil can be utilized to effect operation of the burner 92. Theheated air from the heating mechanism or burner 92 passes through thehollow rotating drum 78 from the rear towards the front thereof, therotation of the drum particularly in conjunction with the protrudingvanes or fins serving to agitate the aggregates so as to effect a moreeven heating thereof and serving to transport or convey the aggregatesfrom the front of the drum towards the rear thereof. To this end, and soas to assist in this transport process, it should be noted that thehollow drum 78 is not disposed exactly on the horizontal in thepreferred inventive embodiment, but is slightly inclined from front torear to effectively make a right angle with the substantially verticalconveyor section 32.

The hot air blown into the rotating drum 78 is discharged through an airchannel means 100 communicating between the hollow drum 78 and each ofthe storage compartments 40 and 42. The air channel means 100 ispartially formed by internal duct work leading to each of the storagecompartments 40 and 42 and is further formed by a shroud or cover 102which runs the length of the elongated hollow drum 78 and is disposedimmediately above. Air flow into the drum 78 therefore follows arrow 104as can best be seen in FIG. 3 into each of the storage compartments 40and 42, which air flow serves to pre-dry the ingredients in thecompartments and settles any dust that may occur through operation ofthe rotating drum 78. This air flow can be further assisted by theprovision of fans 106 in the channel means communicating between each ofthe compartments 40 and 42 and the hollow rotating drum 78. The drivefor each of the fans 106 can be taken off the various gears provided forthe substantially vertical conveyor 32 which, as has been described, isitself driven from the power takeoff 68 of the truck.

The now-heated aggregates moving rearwardly through the hollow rotatingdrum 78 are discharged therefrom through an outlet 108 provided at therear end thereof into a hopper assembly 36 as can best be seen from areview of FIGS. 1, 3, and 7. The aggregates discharged into the hopperassembly 36 are dispensed or metered therefrom by the provision of afurther gate 110 in association with a rotating drum or conveyor 112which is contemplated to rotate in a clock-wise direction as appears inFIG. 7. Thus, the heated aggregates discharged into the hopper assemblyonto the rotating conveyor 112 are dispensed from the hopper assemblythrough the slidable gate 110, whereby the aggregates fall down a chute114 into a pug mill type mixing means defined by a funnel mechanism 116and an underlying lateral conveyor or auger 118 to be describedhereinbelow. Also discharged into the funnel mechanism 116 andthereafter into the lateral conveyor 118 is the liquid bitumen which hasbeen stored -in storage compartment 26 and discharged through a pipe 120through a metering valve 122 as can be seen in FIG. 7. Further, theliquid bitumen within the storage compartment or tank 26 may likewisehave been raised to an elevated temperature through the provision of afurther oil burner 124 which is fueled from the general supply tank 98.

The ratio of the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredi' ents dischargedinto the lateral conveyor or auger 118 can closely be controlled wherebythe consistency and quality of the asphalt formed can be selected. Inthis respect, is should be noted that the hopper assembly and underlyingrotating wheel or drum 112 are mounted on a pivotally disposed andspring-loaded lever or support arm 124. Specifically, the support arm124 is pivoted to the truck frame around bearing 126 and the other endof support arm 124 is coupled to the body of the truck by a springmechanism 128. In this fashion, the entire hopper assembly will movedownwardly as aggregates accumulate therein, and, when empty, the hopperassembly would move upwardly, must as is shown in FIG. 7. This movementof the hopper assembly and specifically of the lever or support arm 124can be monitored as an indication of the amount of aggregates dischargedfrom the heater and drying means 34. To this end, it should be notedthat operation of the rotating conveyor 112 is effected by an electricmotor 130 which itself is controlled through mechanical linkagegenerally designated by reference numeral 132 coupled to the lever arm124. Thus, as the lever arm 124 swings downwardly, i.e.,counterclockwise about its pivot 126 when viewing FIG. 7, the electricmotor 130 will be turned on by the linkage means 132. Similarly, whenthe hopper assembly is empty, the electric motor 130 will be turned off,thus effecting a selective control over the rotation of the conveyor112.

The metering means or valve 122 disposed in the line 120 through whichthe liquid bitumen is discharged is likewise controlled via themechanical linkage 132 by the position of the support or lever arm 124.Thus, when the conveyor 112 is in operation effecting discharge ofaggregates down the chute 114 into the funnel 116, a controlled amountof liquid bitumen is likewise being dispensed or metered into the funnel116. Additional control over the quality and consistency of thebituminous concrete being produced can be effected by operation of thegate 110 controlling the volume amount of aggregates dispensed, as hasbeen mentioned above. Of course, and as should be apparent to thoseskilled in the art, various other synchronization mechanisms can beutilized in place of the mechanical linkage 132 so as to control theaggregates and liquid bitumen dispensed into the funnel 116.

The ingredients dispensed into funnel 116, both wet and dry, are mixedin the lateral conveyor or auger 118 to thereby form what is termedherein bituminous concrete. Of course, it should be appreciated that theoperation of the apparatus as abovedescribed can essentially becontinuous until the supply of bituminous concrete can be produced so asto fit the requirements of the particular job at hand. From the lateralauger or conveyor 118, the bituminous concrete is dispensed into aspreading means 38 disposed at the rear of the mobile frame 30 andcarried along behind.

The spreading means or aparatus 38 comprises a heat chamber means 134disposed forwardly of the mechanism to which is coupled an additionaloil burner or other heater 136, also fueled from the fuel supply tank98. In this fashion,.the surface of a roadway underlying the spreadingmeans or mechanism 38 can be heated. In the preferred inventiveembodiment, two such burners or heaters 136 are provided to either sideof the ap paratus as can best be seen from a review of FIG. 8.

The lateral conveyor means generally designated by reference numeral 138is disposed rearwardly of the heat chamber means 134 for receiving thebituminous concrete from the lateral auger or screw conveyor 118 and forevenly distributing the bituminous concrete over the heated underlyingroad surface. The detailed construction of the lateral conveyor means138 is best illustrated in FIG. 9 of the appended drawings, the lateralconveyor means comprising in the preferred embodiment two elongatedaugers 140 and 142 disposed one above the other, with auger 144conveying the bituminous concrete outwardly towards either side of theapparatus and with auger 142 conveying the bituminous concrete inwardlyfrom either side of the apparatus towards the center thereof. In thisfashion, the even distribution of the bituminous concrete over theunderlying roadway is assured.

A vibrator means generally designated by reference numeral 146 isdisposed rearwardly of the conveyor means 138 for settling thedistributed bituminous concrete. Specifically, and in the preferredinventive embodiment, the vibrating means 146 will be seen to comprise atriangularly shaped plate defining an inner chamber, to which plate avibrator 150 is attached. It should further be noted that a hollow tubeor duct 152 communicates between the interior of the heat chamber means134 and the vibrator chamber 146 so as to further heat the bituminousconcrete being settled, thus further assuring good adhesion propertiesand preventing the bituminous concrete from sticking to the chamber. Theplate 148 of the vibrating means 146 is preferably hingeably mountedsuch as at pivot point 152.

A compacting means generally designated by reference numeral 154 isdisposed at the rear of the spreader means 38 for compacting the nowsettled bituminous concrete. In the preferred inventive embodiment, thecompacting means 154 constitutes a weighted roller, as is shown'.

The spreader means 38, or perhaps more accurately the mechanism foractually applying the bituminous concrete to the underlying roadway, isattached to the rear of the truck 22 by mounting means generallydesignated by reference numeral 156. In the preferred inventiveembodiment, such mounting means constitutes a triangular mount definedby three hydraulic cylinders. In the preferred inventive embodiment, acylinder such a cylinder 158 is disposed to either side of the spreaderapparatus 38. In addition a cylinder such as cylinder 160 is disposedcentrally of the spreading apparatus 38, the hydraulic cylinderscoupling the spreader apparatus to the mobile frame 20 of the truck 22in a fashion such that the height of the spreader means 38 above theground as well as its angle relative to the underlying ground surfacecan readily be controlled. Of course, the rear of the spreader means 38is supported by virtue of the compacting means or roller 154.

For illustrative clarity, a number of details of construction of theinstant invention have not been illustrated in the drawings, though thefabrication of same can readily be effected by those skilled in the art.For example, each of the various burners or heaters provided arecontemplated to have associated therewith electrical temperature sensorsso that the temperatures thereof can carefully be controlled. Further,the positioning of the various metering gatesabove-described can becontrolled through various well-known hydraulic means and, to this end,the novel invention is contemplated to include, if desired, hydraulicpump and suitable automatic controls therefor coupled to the powertakeoff of the truck. Similar automatic controls and gearing can beprovided to control the relative speeds of the various conveyors and thelike so that the entire operation of the bituminous concrete producingapparatus can be automated.

Having now described in detail the preferred constructional features ofthe instant invention, a brief summary of the salient features thereofherein will prove to be helpful in coalescing the understanding thereofof a person of ordinary skill in this art. The novel invention has beenseen to comprise a selfcontained mixing apparatus which is disposed uponan elongated mobile frame such as a truck body. Separate storagecompartments are disposed on the frame for separately storing theaggregates and the liquid bitumen. A conveyor means is provided forconveying the aggregates from the various storage compartments thereforforwardly to the front end of the mobile frame,

and upwardly from the front end of the frame into a heater and dryingmeans for heating and drying the aggregates which is disposed above thestorage compartments along subsantially the length of the frame. Theheater and drying means incorporates an agitator means or vanes servingto move the aggregates heated therein from the front of the frame tothe' rear thereof, whereat the heated agregates are discharged into adischarge means disposed at the rear of the frame. The heated aggregatesare now dropped downwardly into a mixing means into which the liquidbitumen is also dispensed, the amount of ingredients dispensed into themixing means being carefully controlled and metered so as to formbituminous concrete. In the preferred inventive embodiment, thisbituminous concrete is then spread and applied to the underlying roadwayby means of a separate, though associated, apparatus which serves tofirst heat the underlying roadway, spread the bituminous concrete,settle the bituminous concrete, and compact same. The entire apparatus,as abovestated, is mobile and can readily be transported to the scene orsite of a repair job, and operation of the apparatus can readily beeffected by a minimum crew, thus resolving many problems that have facedthe prior art.

It should be apparent from the foregoing detailed description that theobjects set forth hereinabove have been successfully achieved. Moreover,while there has been shown and described present preferred embodimentsof the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that the inventionis not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied andpracticed within the scope of the following claims. Accordingly,

What is claimed is:

1. A self-contained bituminous concrete mixing apparatus comprising, incombination:

an elongated mobile frame;

a plurality of storage compartments disposed on said frame forseparately storing aggregate and liquid bitumen;

an elongated hollow rotatable drum and a burner therefor disposed onsaid frame and defining means for heating and drying the aggregates,said drum being provided with agitator means therein for movingaggregates through the drum from one end thereof to the other duringrotation of said drum;

means for effecting rotation of said drum;

conveyormeans disposed on said frame adjacent said aggregate storagecompartment for transporting aggregates from said compartment into saidone end of said hollow drum;

receiving means disposed on said frame adjacent said other end of saidhollow drum for receiving the heated and dried aggregates from saidhollow drum and for discharging same; mixing means disposed on saidframe beneath said receiving means into which is discharged the heatedand dried aggregates; and

means coupled to said liquid bitumin storage compartment for dischargingliquid bitumen into said mixing means;

said mixing means effecting a mixing of the aggregates with the liquidbitumen to therein form bituminou's concrete.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein a plurality ofcompartments are provided for separately storing a plurality ofdifferent aggregates, and wherein metering means are operativelyassociated with said compartments so as to discharge to said conveyormeans predetermined amount and ratio of said different aggregates.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the ag gregates arecoarse and fine, said apparatus further including an additional heatermeans for maintaining the bitumen within said storage compartmenttherefor at an elevated temperature.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said burner is disposedat an end of said drum, and wherein said drum is tilted from front torear whereby the aggregates within the drum are more readily moved fromthe front of the drum to the rear thereof.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 4, further including a spreadermeans for spreading and compacting the bituminous concrete on a roadsurface.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said storage compartmentsinclude a plurality of separate chambers for separately storingaggregates disposed substantially along the length of the frame in alocation to either side of and substantially immediately below saidhollow drum defining said heater means, said conveyor means including anelongated substantially horizontal section disposed immediately belowsaid separate chambers for feeding the aggregates therein in a directiontoward the front of said mobile frame, and controllable gate means inassociation with said horizontal section of said conveyor to meter theamount of aggregates removed from each of said separate chambers.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein said conveyor meansfurther includes a vertical section defined by a bucket conveyor forcarrying aggregates discharged by said horizontal section upwardly andinto said hollow drum.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said burner associatedwith said hollow drum defining said heater means is a forced air burnereffecting a flow of heated air through said hollow drum and about theaggregates therein.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, further including air channelmeans communicating between said hollow drumand each of said storagecompartments for storing the aggregates for effecting flow of air fromsaid drum into said storage compartments whereby the aggregates withinsaid storage compartments are further dried and whereby dust within saidstorage compartments is settled.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 9, further including an additionalblower means disposed in said air channel means, said additional blowermeans aiding the air flow into said storage compartments for storing theaggregates.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said receiving meansincludes a hopper for receiving the heated aggregates from said drum,and a first dispensing means for controlling the amount of aggregatesdischarged from said hopper into said mixing means, wherein a seconddispensing means is provided for controlling the amount of liquidbitumen discharged from said storage compartment therefor into saidmixing means, and wherein means are provided to synchronize said firstand second dispensing means.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 1, wherein said mixing meanscomprises an auger conveyor.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein said first dispensingmeans comprises a conveyor disposed at the bottom of said hopper forcarrying aggregates therein towards a discharge point whereat meteringgates are provided, the speed of said conveyor, the closure of saidgates, and the amount of liquid bitumen discharged by said seconddispensing means being correlated.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein said synchronizingmeans includes means to sense the weight of the aggregates within saidhopper to control operation of said rotary conveyor and said seconddispensing means.

15. A mobile apparatus for applying bituminous concrete to an underlyingroad surface, said apparatus comprising, in combination:

heat chamber means disposed forwardly of said apparatus for heating theunderlying road surface;

lateral conveyor means disposed rearwardly of said heat chamber meansfor receiving bituminous concrete and evenly distributing same over theheated underlying surface;

hopper means disposed over and in feeding relation to said lateralconveyor for receiving bituminous concrete from some external source;

vibrator means disposed rearwardly of said conveyor means for settlingthe distributed bituminous concrete;

compacting means disposed at the rear of said apparatus for compactingthe settled bituminous concrete; and

mounting means disposed forwardly of said apparatus for attachment ofsaid apparatus to a separate motorized vehicle.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, further including means to heatsaid vibrator means.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein a heating duct isdisposed from said heat chamber means to said vibrator means.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein said lateral conveyormeans comprises two elongated augers disposed one above the other, oneof said augers conveying the bituminous'concrete outwardly toward eitherside of the apparatus toward the center thereof.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein said compacting meanscomprises a roller, said roller supporting said apparatus on theunderlying surface.

1. A self-contained bituminous concrete mixing apparatus comprising, incombination: an elongated mobile frame; a plurality of storagecompartments disposed on said frame for separately storing aggregate andliquid bitumen; an elongated hollow rotatable drum and a burner therefordisposed on said frame and defining means for heating and drying theaggregates, said drum being provided with agitator means therein formoving aggregates through the drum from one end thereof to the otherduring rotation of said drum; means for effecting rotation of said drum;conveyor means disposed on said frame adjacent said aggregate storagecompartment for transporting aggregates from said compartment into saidone end of said hollow drum; receiving means disposed on said frameadjacent said other end of said hollow drum for receiving the heated anddried aggregates from said hollow drum and for discharging same; mixingmeans disposed on said frame beneath said receiving means into which isdischarged the heated and dried aggregates; and means coupled to saidliquid bitumin storage compartment for discharging liquid bitumen intosaid mixing means; said mixing means effecting a mixing of theaggregates with the liquid bitumen to therein form bituminous concrete.2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein a plurality ofcompartments are provided for separately storing a plurality ofdifferent aggregates, and wherein metering means are operativelyassociated with said compartments so as to discharge to said conveyormeans predetermined amount and ratio of said different aggregates.
 3. Anapparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the aggregates are coarse andfine, said apparatus further including an additional heater means formaintaining the bitumen within said storage compartment therefor at anelevated temperature.
 4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, whereinsaid burner is disposed at an end of said drum, and wherein said drum istilted from front to rear whereby the aggregates within the drum aremore readily moved from the front of the drum to the rear thereof.
 5. Anapparatus as defined in claim 4, further including a spreader means forspreading and compacting the bituminous concrete on a road surface. 6.An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said storage compartmentsinclude a plurality of separate chambers for separately storingaggregates disposed substantially along the length of the frame in alocation to either side of and substantially immediately below saidhollow drum defining said heater means, said conveyor means including anelongated substantially horizontal section disposed immediately belowsaid separate chambers for feeding the aggregates therein in a directiontoward the front of said mobile frame, and controllable gate means inassociation with said horizontal section of said conveyor to metEr theamount of aggregates removed from each of said separate chambers.
 7. Anapparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein said conveyor means furtherincludes a vertical section defined by a bucket conveyor for carryingaggregates discharged by said horizontal section upwardly and into saidhollow drum.
 8. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said burnerassociated with said hollow drum defining said heater means is a forcedair burner effecting a flow of heated air through said hollow drum andabout the aggregates therein.
 9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8,further including air channel means communicating between said hollowdrum and each of said storage compartments for storing the aggregatesfor effecting flow of air from said drum into said storage compartmentswhereby the aggregates within said storage compartments are furtherdried and whereby dust within said storage compartments is settled. 10.An apparatus as defined in claim 9, further including an additionalblower means disposed in said air channel means, said additional blowermeans aiding the air flow into said storage compartments for storing theaggregates.
 11. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein saidreceiving means includes a hopper for receiving the heated aggregatesfrom said drum, and a first dispensing means for controlling the amountof aggregates discharged from said hopper into said mixing means,wherein a second dispensing means is provided for controlling the amountof liquid bitumen discharged from said storage compartment therefor intosaid mixing means, and wherein means are provided to synchronize saidfirst and second dispensing means.
 12. An apparatus as defined in claim11, wherein said mixing means comprises an auger conveyor.
 13. Anapparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein said first dispensing meanscomprises a conveyor disposed at the bottom of said hopper for carryingaggregates therein towards a discharge point whereat metering gates areprovided, the speed of said conveyor, the closure of said gates, and theamount of liquid bitumen discharged by said second dispensing meansbeing correlated.
 14. An apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein saidsynchronizing means includes means to sense the weight of the aggregateswithin said hopper to control operation of said rotary conveyor and saidsecond dispensing means.
 15. A mobile apparatus for applying bituminousconcrete to an underlying road surface, said apparatus comprising, incombination: heat chamber means disposed forwardly of said apparatus forheating the underlying road surface; lateral conveyor means disposedrearwardly of said heat chamber means for receiving bituminous concreteand evenly distributing same over the heated underlying surface; hoppermeans disposed over and in feeding relation to said lateral conveyor forreceiving bituminous concrete from some external source; vibrator meansdisposed rearwardly of said conveyor means for settling the distributedbituminous concrete; compacting means disposed at the rear of saidapparatus for compacting the settled bituminous concrete; and mountingmeans disposed forwardly of said apparatus for attachment of saidapparatus to a separate motorized vehicle.
 16. An apparatus as definedin claim 15, further including means to heat said vibrator means.
 17. Anapparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein a heating duct is disposedfrom said heat chamber means to said vibrator means.
 18. An apparatus asdefined in claim 15, wherein said lateral conveyor means comprises twoelongated augers disposed one above the other, one of said augersconveying the bituminous concrete outwardly toward either side of theapparatus toward the center thereof.
 19. An apparatus as defined inclaim 18, wherein said compacting means comprises a roller, said rollersupporting said apparatus on the underlying surface.